The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the re-orientation of products, in particular of printed products, which are conveyed on a product support in a product stream, in particular an overlapping stream.
Such apparatuses are generally known and serve to have an effect on a supplied flow of printed products such that the individual printed products have a different orientation relative to the conveyer means after passing through the acting means than prior to entering the acting means. For the event that the printed products are to be cut at two or three sides, an overlapping stream first passes through a cutting station at which the printed products are cut, for example, at two parallel opposite sides. To subsequently allow a cut at one of the remaining sides or at the two remaining sides, it is necessary to change the orientation of the printed products within the overlapping stream, i.e. the products must be rotated within the overlapping stream.
It is the object of the invention to provide a method and an apparatus for the re-orientation of printed products with which a fast rotation of the printed products can take place at high conveying speeds without the proper orientation of the product stream being impaired.
This object is solved in particular by a method for the re-orientation of printed products which are conveyed in a product stream on a product support, with the products being moved at one point in time exclusively by translation relative to the supplied product stream in an acting means and being rotated at another point in time around an axis perpendicular to the conveying plane of the product support. In accordance with the invention, an exclusively translatory movement is carried out an one point in time for the re-orientation of the products supplied in the product stream, i.e. each single product is displaced in a straight line. The product is rotated on the product support at another point in time.
The invention can be used both with single products supplied in a product stream and with products supplied in an overlapping stream.
It is possible with the method in accordance with the invention to change the original impulse of an incoming overlapping stream orientated in the conveying direction by moving the product to be turned exclusively by translation relative to the supplied overlapping stream. The rotation of the product can be controlled better in this way.
Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the description, the drawings and the dependent claims.
In accordance with an advantageous embodiment, the one point in time is temporally before the other point in time, i.e. the products are first moved exclusively by translation relative to the supplied product stream and subsequently turned around an axis perpendicular to the conveying plane of the product support. It can be advantageous here if a translatory movement of the individual products is also made during the rotation. In this variant, the individual products of the product stream are thus supplied in the conveying direction, first moved exclusively by translation relative to the supplied product stream in the acting means and subsequently further by translation conveyed and rotationally moved.
In accordance with a further advantageous embodiment, the conveying direction of the product stream is changed in the acting means. This means that a rotation of the individual products through an angle of less than 90xc2x0 is required for a re-orientation of the products within the product stream by 90xc2x0. If, for example, the conveying means of an overlapping stream is changed by 45xc2x0 in the acting means, then the individual printed products must also only be turned through an angle of 45xc2x0 inside the acting means, which contributes to the stabilization of the outgoing overlapping stream.
The rotation of the individual products inside the overlapping stream can preferably be carried out by moving the products against an obstacle which is preferably curved, but which is in particular not curved in a circular manner. It is possible, for example, to provide a stop extending in a curved profile as the obstacle, which the products impact after the exclusively translatory movement, whereby the rotational movement to re-orientate the products is initiated.
In accordance with a further advantageous embodiment, while the translatory movement is carried out in the same direction with respect to the conveying direction of the incoming product stream, it is not done transversely, i.e. at a right angle to this conveying direction, but obliquely thereto. This means that the individual products are obliquely drawn out from the overlapping stream, which is preferably done by the gripping of each individual printed product. For example, an individual printed product can be gripped at a corner with the aid of a pair of rolls and drawn out a little from the overlapping stream, whereby a translatory velocity component is applied to this product which can preferably be in the direction of the outgoing overlapping stream.
In accordance with a further advantageous embodiment, the product stream is guided via a stationary portion of the product support in the acting means. This has the big advantage that the products are no longer driven in the conveying direction during re-orientation, but that the re-orientation can take place at the stationary portion of the product support.
The object initially mentioned can further be satisfied by an apparatus for the re-orientation of products conveyed in a product stream comprising a product support and an acting means in which the individual products are rotated around an axis parallel to the product support, with the product support comprising an incoming conveyor belt, an outgoing conveyor belt and a stationary support section therebetween. As was already explained above, the advantage results in this way that the re-orientation of the individual products within the product stream can take place free of that movement which is applied by the incoming and/or outgoing conveyor belt. The products can be uncoupled from the incoming product stream at the stationary support section, be moved by translation and rotationally and thereby be re-orientated, and subsequently be transported onto the outgoing conveyor belt. It is advantageous here if the support section has a smooth surface, for example metallic, surface in order to reduce the friction between the product section and the support section.
In accordance with an advantageous embodiment, the acting means comprises an obstacle which is arranged in a stationary manner and which is formed in a curved, and preferably flexible, manner. The individual products can be rotated in a particularly gentle manner by a stop with such a curved profile, with a flexible design of the stop making the adjustment and matching to different shapes or different products easier.
In accordance with a further advantageous embodiment, the obstacle comprises a longitudinal extent and two end regions, with the one end region of the obstacle or the stop being orientated at a right angle to the conveying direction of the incoming conveyor belt and the other end region being orientated parallel to the conveying direction of the outgoing conveyor belt. A stop is provided in this way which the products impact at right anglesxe2x80x94at a small portionxe2x80x94but which stabilizes the subsequent rotational movement of the products and which aligns the outgoing, re-orientated overlapping stream correctly in a straight line. It is of advantage here if the relative position between the other end region and the conveying direction of the outgoing conveyor belt is adjustable, since a matching to the shape can be carried out in a simple manner in this way.
The acting means preferably comprises a driven roll which is arranged above the stationary support section. The exclusively translatory movement is thereby transmitted to the product in the region of the stationary support section such that the re-orientation can take place with low friction and without distributing external forces.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, the acting means comprises pressure members which cooperate with the driven roll in order to allow a drawing out of a product from the product stream with the aid of the driven roll. In this embodiment, two printed products lying on top of one another in a displaced manner are pressed by the pressure members so that the bottommost product can be drawn out from the overlapping stream with the aid of the driven roll or the driven roll pair.